Autumn in Bloom . . . Wool Applique

 Here’s the wool applique piece that I spoke of in my last post. It is “Autumn in Bloom,” a pattern from Buttermilk Basin. I had been collecting autumnal shades of wool to use in this piece. On my last visit to the Quilted Crow in Bolton, I found just the perfect fabric to use for the borders. 

Along the way I had ordered this scrumptious piece of wool which I used for the leaves. As you can see, my fabric often looks like Swiss cheese as I fussy cut sections that I want to use on a project. Wool is expensive, so I will use every inch of it. :-)

Though I didn’t plan to bring my hibiscus plants in, the talk of dropping temperatures prompted me to bring this one into my sunroom. Though it looks incredibly healthy now, I know what will no doubt happen. It will begin to drop its leaves and become a mess. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the blossoms as yet unopened and keep my fingers crossed that I won’t have to toss it. 

I hope you all are having a happy, creative, and productive week.

Halloween Decor and Autumn Color

My plan had been to share a completed piece of wool applique with you today, but I still need to add the binding and a small hanging sleeve, so I will show it next time. Instead, I’ll share a bit of the Halloween stitching displayed in my bookcases. What fun I have filling these shelves and changing out the mantelpiece! 

The foliage this year was greatly diminished by the drought conditions we experienced this spring and summer. There are, of course, some lovely spots of color, but it doesn’t seem to be lasting. There was an absolutely gorgeous tree on a main road nearby, but before I could get to photograph it, it had dropped a third of its leaves. 

I am loving this view from my deck. Though it is two days before Halloween, my hibiscus plants are still blooming.

Yesterday, I captured this image of ducks on one of the small ponds on the golf course.

On Tuesday, I attended a meeting of the Crosstown Quilters where we were pleased to learn that our quilt show had been a success. Having completed the two quilts that I had in the show, I am now able to turn my attention to other stitchy projects.

I spent a few hours today at the car dealership getting four new tires and sensors in order to get my sticker. Lucky me! I brought a book and a piece of stitching to pass the time, and tonight my plan is to finish that book and do a bit more stitching. :-)

Hope you are all having an enjoyable week.

Bits and Bobs of This and That

 The Crosstown Quilters Guild had a wonderful show on Saturday and Sunday. I had two quilts in the show. The first was  Celtic Blessing, a pattern from Ricky Tims. The completed blocks had languished in a project box for a number of years as I had never gotten around to piecing the blocks together. The back of the quilt is made up of blocks of various shades of green to represent the green fields of Ireland.

The other quilt was “From the Heart.” I had purchased the kit for this quilt at our guild show back in 2018,  and I had assembled all the blocks but had put it aside without adding the borders. Notice a pattern here??? Thank goodness we had this show to spur me on to finish them. The beautiful quilting on both was done by Cannizzaro Creations in Rockland.

I’d like to say that from now on I will always finish quilts and projects in a timely fashion, but I know myself too well to commit to that. I am, however, trying to work through my many, many projects now that I am settled in my new home. Wish me luck!

We had a nor’easter on Monday and Tuesday with lots and lots of rain. I shot this photo from inside my sunporch.

Here’s the scene after the sun finally made an appearance.

Per request, here are some photos of Emma after her trip to the groomer last week.

Note the festive Halloween baubles that the groomer added. :-)

One more thing . . . I recently had some trees trimmed in my new backyard. Well, all except one was done  as one of the workers had noticed a large, active hornet nest hanging from the end of one of the branches. The cold temperatures eventually took care of the hornets and the wind and rain took care of the rest. Here are some of the remnants; the outer shell was like pieces of paper.

Well, that’s the buzz from here. I hope you are all having a happy, positive, creative week.

It’s About Time . . .

 Yes, it’s about time that I got around to checking in with a post. My last post was nearly a month ago. :-(

I thought about posting, but I just didn’t seem to find time to do it. I’m sitting on my deck now, my errands are done, so here goes . . . 

Look!!! Not only is my sewing machine uncovered, but I’m actually using it. Here I was sewing on the binding for my Celtic Cross quilt. The binding, label, and sleeve need to be finished for the upcoming Crosstown Quilters Quilt Show on October  18-19 to be held at the Sister Shawn Center Gymnasium at the Cardinal Cushing Center in Hanover. The hours are: Saturday 10-4 and Sunday 10-3. There is even the distinct possibility that I will have another quilt ready for the show. Fingers crossed . . . 

Yes, dear readers, I would say that my quilting studio is 88% ready. :-) Whoopie!!!

I’ve even had time at the end of the day to do some reading, and so I am going to recommend three pleasant books that you might enjoy. 

1.) The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle. . . It’s the story of an unusual museum in an old warehouse where people bring items of perhaps sentimental value that they no longer need or wish to keep but are loath to discard. Perhaps this made such an impression on me since I could strongly relate to the premise. Moving meant going through so very, very much. My cellar had all sorts of items. For instance, one of my paternal great-grandfathers drove a Handsom cab in Boston probably around the turn of the last century. (A Handsom cab was a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by one horse which functioned like a modern cab.) His tool for pulling horseshoes always hung from the top corner of the pegboard over my dad’s workbench. Why had my father kept it? Hard to say. I offered it to anyone who came to take tools, but the response was always the same, a polite refusal. So where is that tool now? I believe a friend’s husband took custody of it, but a very old horseshoe resides on a shelf in my garage. 

2.) The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin is also a wonderful read. Each chapter begins with a paragraph about bees and the fascinating intricacies of hives. I was amazed at the information which she provided. (Eileen Garvin is a beekeeper and this is her debut novel) It’s a novel of friendship and family; trust me on this . . . you will enjoy it.

3.) My final suggestion is The Late Bloomers’ Club. The story revolves around the townsfolk of Guthrie who frequent Nora’s Miss Gutherie Diner. The fictional town of Gutherie is a fine place to spend some time.

There is so much division and discord and plain craziness in our land right now that I offer these three books to provide you with a bit of peace. And I’m wondering . . . what have you been reading and recommending. I’m only looking for light, uplifting books as we are living in very dark, scary times.

Now, I don’t wish to leave things on that note so let me offer you a smile. 

Have an awesome week!!!

Not Going Back to School Breakfast

 I recently hosted a celebratory “We’re Not Going Back to School Breakfast” for a group of retired teacher friends. We usually go to breakfast at Stars in Hingham about once a month. This time I invited the group instead to my new home as each of these ladies had helped me make the move, and I wanted my friends to see my new home.

Folks ask if I miss my former home and my response is, “Heck no. I brought it all with me. :-)”  That includes this beautiful china which had belonged to my maternal grandmother, and which had been stored in the basement for many, many, many years. The mark on the bottom is “Theodore Haviland Limoge France.” I fully intend to use all of my pretty china, and Lord knows I have plenty of it. 

Here are the happy retirees, all former Weymouth teachers. We all loved being teachers, but retirement is also great fun. 

My former home is going on the market on Wednesday.  I will admit that the “Coming Soon” sign on the front lawn did make me teary eyed. I truly loved that house, but this one level home is perfect for me. 

I am happy to note that I have made significant progress in my quilt studio. It’s not totally done, but I have unearthed my machine and cleared off my cutting table. I’m hoping to finish two quilts for an upcoming quild show. One just needs binding, a sleeve, and a label while the other may not be done in time.

Hope all is going well in your life. Have a wonderful week.

CELLARbration!!!

 Yes, that’s not a typo, I’m CELLARbrating because my basement is finally empty!!! If you have been following this blog, you will know that the move to my dream home happened very, very quickly. I had had no interest in moving to a new home, but then a friend dragged me to an Open House on a rainy, dreary Saturday in April. Three hours later I was speaking to a realtor. No one could believe it. It was the only house that I had looked at, but I knew immediately that this was the house for me, and it definitely is!!!

On June 17, the movers brought all of my furniture here, but I had not had enough time to pack up everything. My family had been in our home for seventy years.  With the help of friends, I have been making progress, and today it is absolutely, totally, unequivocally DONE!!!!!! The guys who  have taken care of my lawn for years, hauled the last of the boxes up here, and the house will go on the market in two weeks.

Speaking of celebrations. . . fans around the world are celebrating the engagement of pop princess Taylor Swift and her prince charming Travis Kelce. It seems like a perfect match.

In my previous post, I mentioned having a dearth of blooms on the overgrown hydrangeas in my side yard. Well, these in the front yard sure make up for them. ;-)

Serendipity Sunday

This morning I was looking at some of the very out of control bushes in my side yard. One bush is at least seven or eight feet tall. I’m not sure whether I will have them severely pruned or completely taken out. Near those bushes are also three very large hydrangeas only one of which has blooms, and it has only five. As I was checking to see if there were any signs of more blossoms forming, I spotted this lovely little creature and was able to grab these images.

The photos don’t capture the way the wings glistened in the sunlight.

Now, I won’t bore you with too much information about dragonflies, but did you know that dragonfly-like winged insects were among the first to evolve about 300 million years ago!!!!!!!!! There are 3,000 known species of dragonflies . Okay, one or perhaps two more bits of info. According to an article on the Smithsonian magazine site, dragonflies are able to fly in any direction and also hover. Finally, it is said that dragonflies can reach speeds of thirty-five mph. Wow!

There you have it. Keep your eyes out for these gossamer winged little beauties and have a wonderful week.